WORK is underway to transform an industrial unit into a new state-of-the-art veterinary practice to provide the best possible care of pets in Hartlepool.
Clifton Lodge Vets has outgrown its existing site in Stockton Road, Hartlepool, which opened in 1950, and will move to a new, modern practice in Sovereign Park in Brenda Road at the end of the year.
The new practice will boast five consult rooms, three operating theatres, an intensive care unit for poorly pets, separate cattery and kennels, diagnostic imaging and x-ray room, prep area and isolation unit, dental suite and a bereavement room for clients.
It will create a much more spacious facility, with onsite parking, to provide the best possible care and treatment of patients and a great service for clients.
Clifton Lodge Vets Clinical Director Zoe Dykes said the move to a new site will enable the practice to expand the number of appointments and operations they can carry out.
Zoe said: “Our existing practice has been here for 75 years and, while there is a lot of history, it is past its prime, so moving is going to benefit everyone. As vets and veterinary nurses, we want to provide the best possible care and treatment of our patients and a great service for their owners, and the new hospital will enable us to do just that.
“With additional consult rooms and more than one theatre, it means we can have more vets consulting and more procedures taking place, and we will also have a dedicated space for veterinary nurse clinics.
“Having plenty of onsite parking spaces available will be a huge bonus for our clients as we have very limited parking at the moment. Because it is such a big unit, there is scope to expand even more in the future and continue to develop our services.”
The new veterinary practice is being funded by VetPartners, a group led by vets which owns some of the UK and Europe’s most trusted and respected veterinary practices and animal healthcare businesses, including Clifton Lodge.
The practice will cover 20,000 square feet site and was previously occupied by a spa and whirlpool manufacturer. It will have offices on the top floor for team members, along with a rest room for vets, nurses and receptionists.
Work started this month to transform the premises into a veterinary practice and is being carried out by Middlesbrough firm Forbes Joinery and Interiors.
Clifton Lodge Vets also has practices in Horden, Billingham and Sedgefield, but Hartlepool is its biggest site. The practices employ 12 vets across all four sites and has 9,885 active clients from Durham and Teesside.
- For VetPartners media enquiries, please contact Amanda Little, VetPartners PR and Communications Director, at [email protected] or 07970 198492